Golden Age Theater Site, Kinderkamack Strip Mall, Flood Buyouts This Week

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Golden Age Theater Site

A property owner who applied for three use variances for a former law office on Kinderkamack Road near Five Corners is scheduled to continue his application before the Westwood Zoning Board this week without the proposed golden age theater.

Ray Walsh, who planned to open the theater, previously told Patch he was dropping off the application because of an objection from the owner of Pascack Theaters.

The existing theater's attorney, John Lamb, told Patch that his client was concerned by parking issues the proposed theater might cause.

Walsh said he began looking for sites in other towns, but still hoped that things might work out in Westwood.

The Westwood Zoning Board meets at 8 p.m. Monday in the Municipal Complex.

Kinderkamack Road Development

The Westwood Zoning Board is also scheduled to continue hearing an application for a stip mall at the site of the former Chevrolet dealer on Kinderkamack Road.

The board previously denied an application from the same developer for the same site, which the developer is appealing. He also filed a new application for the same site, which removes a "general retail use" variance, which board members previously said they were not comfortable granting.

At their last meeting, the applicant's attorney and the board's attorney disagreed whether the board could continue hearing the second application while the appeal for the first application was still pending.

David Rutherford, the board's attorney, said he would review a case cited by the applicant's attorney and make a decision by this week's meeting.

Flood Buyouts

The Westwood Council is scheduled to discuss a FEMA update during their meeting this week.

The borough received more than $2 million in grants from FEMA and the state Department of Environmental Protection to buy flood-prone properties.

As of their last meeting, officials were still waiting for state approval of appraisals to determine the value of eight homes on the list for possible purchase.

The council also previously discussed a potential issue with taxes on the purchased property. Currently, the towns using grant money to buy flood-prone homes will be responsible for paying the county and school taxes for those properties in the year they are purchased, though a pending bill would eliminate that responsibility.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.